When the Bartlesville Public School District's summer school program was in full swing last month, classes were in session at seven different sites.
With the calendar having now found its way into July, only one BPSD site is still offering summer school classes this year – the Bartlesville Mid-High School. The Mid-High is set to begin its second and final semester of the summer on Monday, July 6.
They say life is full of second chances, and summer school certainly offers one. For those students who missed an opportunity for a credit – perhaps one which could potentially keep them from advancing to the next grade level or graduating on time – classes offered in June and July provide another option to get back on track.
“There have been numerous students over the years who have re-taken courses during the summer and then been able to graduate with their respective classes,” says Mid-High principal Jason Langham. “That's a very positive reality of summer school.”
At its high point, 617 students were enrolled in the BPSD's summer school program –which commenced on June 1 – this year. The district's elementary program (grades kindergarten through five) was housed at four elementary schools – Jane Phillips, Oak Park, Richard Kane and Woodrow Wilson – while the middle school program (grades six through eight) was located at Central Middle School.
The elementary program – which featured classes from Monday through Thursday each week – concluded on June 25. The middle school program at Central had a Monday through Friday schedule and classes wrapped on June 26. At all sites – including the Mid-High – classes were in session from 8 a.m. to noon.
The summer school program at Wilson featured 266 students, 22 teachers and 17 teacher assistants this year. At the elementary school level, the focus is always on two core subjects – reading and math. The Wilson summer program was coordinated by two of the school's teachers – Shelly White and Angie Linthacum.
“I think the students were very excited about the variety of activities we offered this year,” says White. “Since we didn't have a lot of time, it was very focused. The teachers were very creative in the way in which they presented information.”
Some lessons would allow for fun yet educational activities in which students would perform “readers theater,” acting out scenes from books which they were studying.
Some reading activities for younger students allowed them to focus on sounds, blends and structure.
As is typically the case in summer school, smaller class sizes allow teachers more time to focus on each student's individual needs. The average class size at Wilson was between 12 and 13 children.
White taught Summer Reading Academy classes for three years at Wilson before serving as Wilson 's co-coordinator for its entire summer school program this year. Summer Reading Academy is offered at all four elementary summer sites for those students who will be fourth graders this fall and need some extra study time.
“I think summer school is incredibly important,” says White. “It gives students a chance to work on skills which they need to strengthen. Also, it helps them maintain skills which they learned during the regular academic year.”
Approximately 90 students took part in the middle school summer program this year at Central. Classes offered focused on subjects such as math, reading, English, language arts, science and social studies.
After teaching summer school for around five years, math instructor Keri Gardner served as the Central coordinator.
“I like the fact that summer school allows students the opportunity to continue learning,” says Gardner. “It can help the children fill some gaps and keeps the material fresh for them.”
Central's science and technology class was especially vibrant this year. The eighth-grade course featured a different teacher and project each week. One project allowed the youngsters to craft their own rockets.
During a student's high school career – grades nine through 12 – they must earn 23 credits in order to graduate. If a student takes a class but doesn't pass, then no credit is achieved, which can throw them off schedule as they attempt to collect a diploma within four years. Typically, one class in a given semester is worth a half-credit.
As is the case at the elementary and middle school levels, high school summer courses allow students to make up for lost opportunities. With two semesters offered at the Mid-High, students can make up one full credit over the course of a summer. The first semester at the Mid-High ran from June 1-22. The second will span from July 6-27.
The Mid-High is offering 17 different courses this year in what is known as the Bartlesville Regional Summer School program. High school students attending any school in Washington, Osage or Nowata counties are eligible to attend.
Nearly 90 students were enrolled in the Bartlesville Regional Summer School program during the first semester. The program is coordinated by Travis Lashbrook, who is an assistant principal at the Mid-High. The course range spans from freshman English to math of finance to Oklahoma history.
“Our first semester went very well at the Mid-High,” says Langham. “I think that is a testament to the great planning by Mr. Lashbrook in addition to the hard work and dedication of our teachers and students.
“We're looking forward to a very positive second semester.”%202.jpg)
Jennie Butterfield leads a summer school class at Jane Phillips Elementary School.